The Għargħur council has written to the Archbishop’s Curia over a plot of agricultural land which is up for sale and which it would like to convert into a day care centre and a night shelter for the locality’s aging population.

Mayor Helen Gauci said the council had asked the church to allow it to carry out the project it had long been planning for villagers. The plot lies just behind the church, close to the village core and was originally planned to be turned into catechism classrooms and facilities for parish use.

“We only found out about the sale of the plot of land through the story on Times of Malta. The deadline had already passed but we still wrote to the Curia to tell them what we planned to do with the plot should we manage to get our hands on it,” she said.

She explained many elderly people resided in Għargħur and therefore a day care centre and a night shelter for those who feel lonely and unsafe at home would be ideal. Besides, the creation of underground parking would alleviate the massive parking problem in the village streets.

The Curia is selling a portion of developable agricultural land it owns in Għargħur to finance the restoration of the parish church and two chapels in the locality.

The plot, measuring 1,100 square metres, is within the development zone and can be turned into a block of flats of up to four storeys.

In a recent newspaper advert, the Curia said it was receiving offers for the land in question on Triq il-31 ta’ Marzu. The land is subject to an agricultural lease and is being sold as such.

The church’s administrative secretary, Michael Pace Ross, explained that the land was originally retained with the specific intention of building a centre for catechism and had been given to the boys’ section of the Christian doctrine society (MUSEUM).

“After many years, the society decided it would not build the centre because circumstances had changed and had returned the land to the parish, which recently informed the Curia that the land is no longer required for pastoral purposes,” he said.

Mr Pace Ross said the proceeds raised from the sale of the land could be used for the restoration of the Għargħur parish church and two chapels within the locality as well as for pastoral initiatives.

The proposed sale was criticised by neighbours who argued that the Church ought to shelve its plans to sell the parcel of land in question so it could remain a green area.